Victoria's Secret reopens its online store but says that workers' shifts in warehouses will be staggered and that they are now required to sit 6 feet apart

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Victoria's Secret reopens its online store but says that workers' shifts in warehouses will be staggered and that they are now required to sit 6 feet apart
Victoria's Secret
  • Victoria's Secret reopened its online store on Thursday after rolling out a series of changes at its distribution centers to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
  • The company initially said its online store would reopen on March 29.
  • Employees at its warehouses will be required to take their temperature before heading into work, and they will sit at work stations that are arranged to be six feet apart.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Victoria's Secret's online store is back in action three days earlier than planned.

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The lingerie giant put a halt to online sales on March 19 as the coronavirus outbreak continued to spread in the US. A spokesperson for the company has not responded to Business Insider's multiple requests for comment on why its online store closed.

At the time of its closure, Victoria's Secret said it would reopen on March 29, but on Thursday, March 26, the site was back online.

In a note to customers, Victoria's Secret outlined the steps it had taken to improve the safety of its distribution centers before reopening.

These steps included a deep clean of all locations, the introduction of new hand sanitizer stations for workers, and the development of a wellness center and pharmacy on-site where workers can access "healthcare and medicines quickly and easily," it said.

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In addition, employees will be required to take their temperature before heading into work, and they will sit at work stations that have been set up to be six feet apart. Victoria's Secret has also staggered the shifts of its workers to limit the number of people in these buildings at any one time.

The company was one of few retailers to close its online store. While most apparel companies have shuttered their brick-and-mortar locations, many are now relying on their e-commerce platforms to generate sales.

Still, these distribution centers and warehouses used to fulfill online orders have come under intense scrutiny as new cases of COVID-19 are reported. Critics have called on Amazon, specifically, to shut down its warehouses after several locations in the US had confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections.

Get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.

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